What will Model 3 do to Chevy Bolt sales?

[Az_Rael]

marketing is a wild-card and could really swing public perception towards a Bolt if GM really wants to go full-court. It is just a matter of time before Tesla is going to have to do some advertising because there is an incredibly large part of the population, at lest in my area, who do not know what Tesla even is.

GM doesn't have a great track record on marketing their EV/EREVs. Case in point: the Volt. The Volt should have been a great transition vehicle to get folks into an EV with the training wheels of the gas engine backup for that range anxiety. I love mine, they did a great job on the car. First GM product I have ever bought. BUT, even today people I talk to have zero idea what it is, or even better, think they catch on fire or still cost $45k. Sigh.

 

[igotzzoom]

Chevy/GM has two advantages...scale and reach. Plus the fact the Bolt will likely be out and in showrooms a full year before the Model 3. Longer-term, it's anyone's guess. I definitely think Tesla has established itself as the more prestigious, futuristic brand, but I have to respect Chevy for bringing out some really solid products lately. This isn't a "one must win and one must lose" scenario. It's in the interest of EV adoption for both the Bolt and the Model 3 to succeed.

 

[cpa]

Many consumers are brand loyal. I can see those folks who wish to try a BEV opting for a Bolt over a Tesla Model 3 just because of this brand loyalty.

Also consider this:

Chevy dealers are ubiquitous. If GM and their dealers push hard to sell the Bolt (debatable, I know) buyers of the Bolt will have a local number to call or a short drive to the dealership to get questions answered or a warranty repair. Tesla sales and service centers are generally few and far between. The Tesla toll-free number (for me, anyway) is frustrating and there are just too many buttons to depress to try to guess where to direct my call. Three times I have had to leave voice mail messages at Service Centers during normal business hours, and twice I had to call back because my initial call was not returned within 48 hours. I believe that Tesla is going to have to increase their Service Centers substantially and have direct telephone lines to the Service Centers that are answered by a live human being from 7:30-5:30 Monday through Friday. For people in more remote areas of the country that don't have a fairly proximate Service Center, Tesla will have to address this in a sensible fashion, especially if a Chevy dealer is in town or in the next town 25 miles away.

I do not know what sort of technical information Chevy will provide concerning the peculiarities and quirks that BEVs have that ICE vehicles do not have. I can almost guarantee that a vast majority of individuals who purchase the Bolt or the Model 3 will not have our understanding as to how weather, elevation gain, charging time differentials between 110V/15A and 240V/40A, etc., etc. affects our use and enjoyment of driving electric. Tesla needs to take the reins and have this information in a dumbed-down format that can be accessed from the touchscreen. For example, when the temperature gauge detects "cold" weather, a notification should pop up to remind the driver that cold weather reduces range. There is a large amount of knowledge that is not intuitive to the average consumer that Tesla (and Chevy of course) must communicate and remind the owners to avoid potential disasters, both from the owner's point of view and the public relations point of view.

GM will survive whether the Bolt is a hit or a miss. Tesla needs the Model 3 to survive as an automobile manufacturer. Tesla must go above and beyond what GM does for the Bolt in order to set themselves apart and have millions of happy customers!

 

[EVNow]

Some points to note.

- Bolt will not be available nationwide within one year. I won't be surprised if Bolt remains in CARB ZEV states in the first year. Afterall Volt 2 has not made it to Seattle yet, and even Volt 1 came quite late.
- Bolt is a sub-compact. This will limit its sales.
- Leaf 2 may be here around the time Bolt comes.
- There are other BEVs, particularly from Hyundai and Kia which will hit the sweet spot in terms of size, even if they are not 200 miles. They also use CHAdeMO instead of CCS. I'd rather have a mid-size Hyundai Ioniq BEV rather than sum-compact CUV Bolt. Large vertical cargo space is not very useful compared to smaller sized but larger cargo floor space.
- Finally people who are likely to buy BEV and people who like Chevy as a brand probably don't overlap too much.

 

[flankspeed8]

Some points to note.

- Bolt will not be available nationwide within one year. I won't be surprised if Bolt remains in CARB ZEV states in the first year. Afterall Volt 2 has not made it to Seattle yet, and even Volt 1 came quite late.
- Bolt is a sub-compact. This will limit its sales.
- Leaf 2 may be here around the time Bolt comes.
- There are other BEVs, particularly from Hyundai and Kia which will hit the sweet spot in terms of size, even if they are not 200 miles. They also use CHAdeMO instead of CCS. I'd rather have a mid-size Hyundai Ioniq BEV rather than sum-compact CUV Bolt. Large vertical cargo space is not very useful compared to smaller sized but larger cargo floor space.
- Finally people who are likely to buy BEV and people who like Chevy as a brand probably don't overlap too much.

GM has said on numerous occasions that the Bolt WILL be a nationwide launch at start and 2017 Volt will be hitting all states soon:

"It's very safe to assume that this car is going to be here sooner rather than later," Balch said. "We've also committed that it's going to be a 50-state vehicle at launch. That's to show our commitment to the technology. Our hope is that it becomes a high-volume-selling car, and that it's not just for the coasts, it's not just for a certain income level, but it is a long-range EV that anybody can get themselves into. ... [This is] a good alternative to the luxury long-range EVs that are available now. It's something that people can see themselves actually affording to get into. That's the message from this car."

 

[EVNow]

GM has said on numerous occasions that the Bolt WILL be a nationwide launch at start and 2017 Volt will be hitting all states soon:

"It's very safe to assume that this car is going to be here sooner rather than later," Balch said. "We've also committed that it's going to be a 50-state vehicle at launch. That's to show our commitment to the technology. Our hope is that it becomes a high-volume-selling car, and that it's not just for the coasts, it's not just for a certain income level, but it is a long-range EV that anybody can get themselves into. ... [This is] a good alternative to the luxury long-range EVs that are available now. It's something that people can see themselves actually affording to get into. That's the message from this car."

Wake me up when it actually happens.

I even remember Lutz saying Volt will be priced south of $30k.

 

[flankspeed8]

Wake me up when it actually happens.

So GM is lying? You made a comment stated as a fact. I provided a quote from a GM exec that states the opposite of what you said.

 

[EVNow]

So GM is lying? You made a comment stated as a fact. I provided a quote from a GM exec that states the opposite of what you said.

GM never lies. They just spin. They are trying to say - Bolt is not a compliance vehicle - I get that.

Let us just say - I'm skeptical of GM on this point.

 

[Airx]

I remember when the Volt hit the Houston dealers. They were trying to sell it for ~$50K.
The motor electronics packaging under the hood on the Bolt is pretty ugly. It looks like they took the Volt engine package and just removed the ICE.

 

[Breezy]

The Bolt will available across the US and in Canada before the end of this year. GM has mentioned this numerous times.

 

[postpast]

The Bolt is also very much not a Sub-compact. It is classified as a midsize and will certainly have a fair amount more cargo and rear seat room than the M3.

 

[Justicepool]

I hope the Bolt succeeds. However, I plan to stick with Tesla for my future car purchases. As Elon has said many times, Tesla cannot do this this alone.

 

[dhrivnak]

Wake me up when it actually happens.

I even remember Lutz saying Volt will be priced south of $30k.

We got our fully optioned Volt for $29k from a local dealer in TN at the very end of 2014. (Including the federal tag credit). They Have 4 2017's already ordered and on the way. We had one service issue and they promptly got us fixed up and gave my wife a loaner for the 4 hours they were working on it . Overall it has been a great experience . Tesla is good but I am more than happy to take the Volt.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Model Y (CUV) will probably be the one that affects Bolt sales the most. Right now GM designed the Bolt to purposefully avoid overlap with the Model 3. It allows them to trumpet "first" without having to go head to head with Tesla. I think they learned their lesson from the ELR.

 

[techmaven]

The Bolt is also very much not a Sub-compact. It is classified as a midsize and will certainly have a fair amount more cargo and rear seat room than the M3.

Obviously, we don't know about the Model 3. The Bolt is very close to the interior dimensions of a Chevy Trax or Buick Encore of which it shares heritage. If Tesla is true to form, the Model 3 will be shorter than the ICE equivalent, mainly due to aerodynamics. The Bolt has terrible aerodynamics and likely would have a tough time if it had to make Tesla Supercharger jumps at highway speeds if it could charge from them.

Looking at shoulder room, the Bolt is in good company:

BMW i3: 53.6" and 49.2"
Nissan Leaf: 54.3" and 52.5"
Chevy Bolt: 54.6" and 52.8"

But distinctively smaller than the small entry lux sport sedans:

BMW 320i: 55.1" and 55.1"
Audi A4: 55.5" and 54.3"
Infiniti Q50: 56.7" and 56.1"

Comparison of Model S with its competitor sedans:
Tesla Model S: 57.7" and 55.0"
Audi A7/S7: 57.2" and 55.9"
BMW 6 series: 56.7" and 54.6"

My guess is that the Model 3 will be closer to the sport lux sedans in shoulder room, but with a shorter height giving it a smaller interior cubic footage as compared to the Bolt.

The Refreshed 2017 Chevrolet Trax Fixes Only One Of Its Many Flaws

The Bolt will likely fix the biggest problem with the Trax... the anemic powertrain. It'll go from “slow as a dog” to pretty peppy.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Obviously, we don't know about the Model 3. The Bolt is very close to the interior dimensions of a Chevy Trax or Buick Encore of which it shares heritage. If Tesla is true to form, the Model 3 will be shorter than the ICE equivalent, mainly due to aerodynamics.

Bolt will likely have better rear head room. As you point out, Model 3 probably will have better shoulder room (and likely better hip and leg room too). Cargo room I think will be a wash: if the Bolt counts the back window area, I think it might win, but otherwise, I think the frunk might push the Model 3 to win (plus Model 3 likely will be longer).

Bolt will have higher seating position (which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on personal preferences).

 

[postpast]

After a little research. The Bolt is practically identical (within %2) of the 3 Series sedan in headroom and legroom (f&r) as well as cargo and passenger capacity. Interesting, I wonder if it was intentional.

 

[stopcrazypp]

After a little research. The Bolt is practically identical (within %2) of the 3 Series sedan in headroom and legroom (f&r) as well as cargo and passenger capacity. Interesting, I wonder if it was intentional.

Are you sure about headroom? I would expect the Bolt would do better given how tall the vehicle is.

 

[postpast]

The Bolt is 1/3 inch more, nothing really. The 3 series does have the most rear headroom in class though, over a half inch higher than the C Class.

Also headroom goes from seatheight, which is likely higher in the Bolt.

 

[WATTS-UP]

Tesla already has the Mod 3, they are just holding back. The mod 3 is the old S 40 in a new suit. As far as cost, the S 40 I think was at $50,000.00 when it was on the market. The new Mod 3 (Old S 40) will come in at $49,950.00 minus the tax credits. If Tesla can come up with a less expensive battery then the Mod 3 pitch will be, a Tesla with Super Charging for under $40,000.00. The line will be out the door.